Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-02-11
THROUGH A BRIDGE.
One of the Most Appalling Rail-
road Accidents OH Record.
Over 40 Persons Known TO Have Lost Their
Lives Passengers Imprisoned IN
the Wreck and Crushed and
Burned 10 Death Rescuers Made
Helpless by the Heat.

One OF the most appalling railroad dis
asters ever known occurred near Wood
stock VT. about one O'Clock on the morn
ing OF the 5th inst. AT that hour four
passenger coaches OF the Montreal express
heavily freighted with pleasure seekers
bound for scenes OF carnival and fun. were
hurled from the edge of an open Howe
bridge 600 feet in length, and while the
train was running at full speed were pre-
cipitated with the bridge itself down one
OF the widest gorges Of the Green Mountain
state seventy feet on the icy surface Of the
White river. and they were burned 10
ashes, cremating over forty human beings,
killing dozen more and seriously,l not IA
tally burning and naming score OF others
All the cars were well flled. the spring
field and Boston sleepers being filled with
people bound for the winter sports at Mon
trell. The weather was clear but cOld
The engineer knew his ground thoroughly,
and q the train was over an hour late, no
was determined 20 make up lost time.
over the four mile straight away stretch
west Of the station the train sped along az
the rate Of forty miles an hour, aud all on
b GARD had settled down TO nap Whoiy
unconscious of the terrible death awaiting
them "A few rods ahead. Suddenly the
train dashed around "A curve and up
slight grade TO the long wooden deck howe
bridge which crosses the Whlte RIVER
seventy feet above its rushing waters.
The river at this point passes through a
deep. rocky gorge the Jagged edge OF the
precipice on either side, With It's perpen-
dicular sides bordered by stunted pines,
making "A wildly romantic scene. AT TINS
point tn train suddenly ended its jour
ney. A broken rail 200 feet from the bridge
is all that Is left TO tell the cause. whether
the train broke the frosty rail-. throwing tho
cars from the track. whether the rail was
i,afC he ffai n "A
some wheel gave way and snapped the
rail j. not known. and may never DO
known In an instant there was "a jar
humping OF trucks over the railroad ties;
the coupling between the forward sleeper
and the four following cars broke, the en-
CINE baggage and smoking car, passed on
20 the bridge and over IN safety, but the
other four cars jumped along over the
ties TO the end of the bridge Knocked out
the heavy timbers which rested on tho
abutments and then tOppled oyer-brldge,
cars and human freight fully eighty souls,
all told. falling with tremendous crash
down the Jagged precipice seventy feet
striking upon the frozen surface OF the
river. Then followed scene which beg
CARS all power of human description. The
splintered wreck took fire and the dark
gorge was soon lighted up 10y the glare OF
burning coaches and bridge timber. The
detached portion Of the train was stopped
and ran back to the scene as soon as pos
sible. Those on board sprang into the
as best they could down the steep bank
To assist any in the wreck who were alive.
Here and there man or woman had sue
ceeded in getting extrlcated from tho
debris and were bravely rendering all the
assistance in their power TO rescue their
less fortunate companions, but the rescuers
were perfectly helpless because OF the In
tense heat of the burning cars and bridge.
Many of the unfortunates were pinned be-
meath huge timbers beyond all human aid.
The groans of the half conscious dying,
the screams of the burning, mingled with
the hoarse shouts Of the trainmen and a
few farmers who had arrived on the scene.
VERY little could be done 20 aid the in
jured and absolutely nothing toward n
quenching the flames ne fn thS(
river was three feet thick and no water
could be procured The sckening stencil
OF burning human flesh soon arose from
the seethlng mass The cries OF those
enduring the martyrdOm OF being
burned alive grew fainter and fainter
The injured who had been extri-
Gated from the ruins were soon con-
veyed 10 the neighhuring farm houses
or slowed away in the smoking or bag
gage cars, and when the relief train ar
rived from White River Junction the wreck
had been entirely consumed. AT least
forty persons and probably nearer 30, were
killed outright or burned to death, and in
only few instances l. identification pos
slble. Some of the passengers. as the re-
mains show. were instantly killed in the
and bodies were damned in between seats
and other portions Of the wreck, vainly
calling for succor and release. Some only
slightly INJURED were unable 20 move be-
cause OF the weight upon them and, others
not hurt at all beyond few
bruises contrived TO escape through win
dows and the broken sides of the cars In
the sleepers nearly all had laid aside their
dress except underclothing. and those OF
themlas were SO fortunate found themselves
on the snow and ice with this scanty cover
ing and the mercury marking 20 degrees
below zero. and frozen feet and limbs,
many of them so badly frozen as TO neces-
state amputation. add 10 the casualties.
The number of wounded is very large and
some will undoubtedly prove fatal and
the death roll be increased.
Most OF the bodies recovered were taken
10 the village of Hartford and placed in
an undertaker's establishment. Fortv
bodies in all have been taken out Of the
wreck, and only five OF this number are in
any manner recognizable 1t will be i'm
possible 10 tell how many were on the
train the conductor had only begun
taking up tickets after leaving W hite River
Junction. Many bodies have probably
gone into the river and under the ice.
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